If possible, “watch” the video with your headphones on.

I wanted to try something different and so I went on vacations with a small handy camera. I didn’t take any pictures this time but I’ve shot close from 1000 short videos during those sixteen days. The camera I’ve used has a special feature. The sound. It has a digital built in microphone and this made me be more aware about sounds and sound of images.
I had no idea in mind for the composition or theme so I decided to gather as much information as I could. In the end and after some months I’ve decided to start looking at all the material I had and some patterns start emerging.

This is the 1st video of a series of 4 that are simply based on basic camera movements that point directions and ways to see things in different ways. POV exercises. The video shows no tricks or special editing. There’s no music composition. What you ear goes with what you see in those specific moments.

Prototyping a new packaging for Donko® from Toyno®.
I will be talking about this new project here in this blog in the following weeks!
Meanwhile:
www.facebook.com/toynoproducts

Just remembered. I’m already explaining a little bit of the project here (only in portuguese for now):

www.wwh.do doing stuff. Berlin 14th February 2012

We all have different backgrounds, most of us where raised in different social environments and ended up developing different activities in adult life. Another fact is that despite these differences we all went and where engaged in the same activities while we where kids.
In kindergarten we played, share a lot of experiences with the space and other kids around us, sleep during the afternoons to recover some power, engaged in activities with objects or everything around us and of course, made a lot of mistakes by taking chances.

As we grow old, our playfulness is gradually substituted by a lot of studying. We all want to be good students and spend a lot of time worrying about the future and normally focusing on one goal. Finishing university is always a promise for a good future.
In the end, almost everyone ends up focusing in one specific area of knowledge. We become isolated by digging our heads in some books or in different contrast monitors. We loose the idea of team spirit by ego demand and we are not able to differentiate ourselves from the ones next to us. No one’s is looking around. Everybody ends up doing the same thing.

I don’t want to focus on the societal or governmental facts of education but on the actual facts and changes perpetuated by the physiological changes in our brains. While we get old our prefrontal cortex develops and makes us more aware and focus while making decisions. The problem is that gaining more consciousness in our actions also makes us have more constrains while doing it. We become more afraid, blocked and limited by “judging” too much our own thoughts.
We end up suppressing creativity by thinking too much.
This means we loose the ability to think and act like children.
What I suggest is that by introducing little changes in the way we live our lives and even in the way we work, we can keep on being and acting like kids without compromising our “decision making” processes.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up”. This beautiful quote by Pablo Picasso sets the tone for some solutions or changes I would love to see implemented in more companies and that I’m already putting in practice today.

Play.
Playing gives us more energy and sends a signal to our brains that we are active. It increases our sense of freedom, brakes barriers by making us feel more connected to a group. Makes us feel we are physically part of something. Generates empathy by making us feel less ashamed.

Space.
Space plays an important role. It’s not by chance that Stanford DSchool just put out a book revealing the importance of a creative and friendly space and the way it impacts creativity. Space stimulates and potentiates interactions. Steve Jobs wanted to place the toilet in the middle of the company for people to bump on each other on their way.
Space can free your mind if it’s blue or it can make you go quicker if it’s red for example. Space is to be used with no restrictions. Go on the floor, walls, ceiling. Create your own space.

Learn by Doing.
When we are kids we learn by doing. While we still don’t rationalize we learn by tracing and mapping the interactions our body produces with the space around us. That’s how we learn. By doing and not by thinking. While using our hands we are creating physical memories that will be retained by our body and neuronal systems. Making our ideas tangible will have the same effect. We can detect and see and touch what we thought of doing by really doing it. And we can pretty soon detect mistakes we couldn’t even think about before having that tangible “product” in our hands.

Nap.
It’s not by chance that a lot of leaders and creative minds take power naps in the afternoon. Sleeping improves learning and working memory. It heightens our senses and creativity, it increases alertness and improves health. During our sleep is where our brains is silently making all the connections between the information we absorb at different times.
Ah Ah moments and more common during “nap” times!

Team.
While we are kids we love playing with other kids, without making to much judgment. Learning together and sharing ideas and building on ideas of others and “joining” others ideas was almost a sport while we where young. We can bring this spirit today by mixing different elements in a team. We don’t need to know the same stuff. We just need to find a common base to star a work or to put up a great multidisciplinary team.

Just bring on that kid’s spirit.

One last quote form Jonah Lehrer: “By thinking of ourselves as a child, we end up thinking in more child-like ways. The end result is that we regain the creativity lost with time.”

This text was the summary of the talk (How can we use our past to design a better future?) I gave with Inês Brito at the University of Zaragoza/Spain – March 2012

Fotos #PFC

Confirma-se. O #PFC é das iniciativas e conferências mais inovadoras aqui pelas nossa bandas. Um conceito que foge e muito para fora do espaço fantástico do “Conservatório de Música de Coimbra”. Painéis interessantes e gente que sabe receber e resolver. Obrigado pelo convite e pela fantástica recepção. Melhor que tudo isto é trazer “gente nova” para Lisboa no bolso e no coração. Contactos e conversas que vão estar para ficar. Para o ano espero estar de volta a Coimbra.

Guta Moura Guedes, Ana Cunha, Rui Vieira, Diogo Teixeira e José Cabral foram alguns do nomes que no ano de estreia passaram pelo #PFC (Pensar Fora da Caixa) em Coimbra.
Não pude marcar presença no ano passado já não me lembro porquê mas fiquei com a pulga atrás da orelha. Este ano – no próximo fim de semana – vou como convidado e vou participar no painel: O Futuro do Analógico.

Partilharei o palco com a Telma Rodrigues da organização da #PFC, com o Florian Kaps (fundador e director de marketing da Impossible Project) – via Skype, Ludovic (Analog Nights) e a Rita Branco (Miolo).
 Ao que parece a organização da #PFC deixou-se fisgar pelo projecto “Fishing for ideas” e eu não disse que não. O tema interessa-me e muito. A Relação do digital com o analógico/físico é um tema recorrente nas minhas leituras e posts – por exemplo aqui e aqui.
A responsabilidade de ali estar é grande. A vontade é muita.

Outra das grandes surpresas é a presença do Sérgio Hydalgo – responsável pela programação musical da ZDB-Galeria Zé dos Bois – no painel “O Desafio da Programação e Curadoria”. O Sérgio é só um dos meus melhores amigos. Tocámos juntos em vários projectos musicais desde o final dos anos 90. Infelizmente – ou felizmente – deixámos as guitarras e microfones de lado. Eu dediquei-me à pesca e ele…continua ligado à música mas do lado de cá do palco.

Fica uma memória ridícula, não desses tempos, que o que por aí anda mete mesmo medo, mas uma “brincadeira” mais recente (2008) chamada PrincesseStephanie (a não perder – os vídeos no final deste post). Obrigado à organização da #PFC e até já Coimbra.

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Guta Moura Guedes, Ana Cunha, Rui Vieira, Diogo Teixeira and José Cabral where some of the names present in the debut of #PFC (Pensar Fora da Caixa) Conference in Coimbra.
I couldn’t go last year but I was very curious about all the dynamics around this conference. This year – next saturday – I’ll be there as a speaker. The them for my panel is The Future of the Analog.

I will share the stage with Telma Rodrigues from #PFC, with Florian Kaps (founder and marketing director of Impossible Project) – via Skype, Ludovic (Analog Nights) and Rita Branco (Miolo).
It seems that the organizers of #PFC fall in love by the “fishing for ideas”project  and I couldn’t say no. I like the theme a lot and I’ve been writing about the relation between the digital/physical for some time now. Here and here for example.
Big responsibility but a lot of motivation to join everyone for the weekend.

Another great surprise is the presence this year of Sérgio Hydalgo – Responsible for the music section at ZDB-Galeria Zé dos Bois – in the panel “The Challenge of Planning and Curatorship”. Sérgio is one of my best friends. We’ve played together in several musical projects from the end of the 90′s. Fortunately – or unfortunately – we left the microphones and guitars aside. I dedicated myself to the “fishing” business and Sérgio continues connected to the music scene but in a different side of the stage.

Check this ridiculous memory from a more recent past (2008).
Thanks #PFC and see you soon Coimbra.

Photo: Helpo

Great to see that after 5 years, Helpo still knows what to  do and how to use the identity we created at that time. I’m very proud of what I’m seeing in this picture that was taken a few days ago. More important than that they are achieving the goals they had set also at that time for the children of Mozambique. Congratulations for the great work.
Want to helpo?

Check the article (only in portuguese)

Immensely proud to see my Grandmother Conceição and my Grand Grandmother Sofia leading this article.
Makes me think that all of this is worth it.

Probably one of the most amazing places I’ve been. After two years I still have these images in my mind. I still go back to them everytime I meditate.

About a year ago Zé asked for my help. “I have an idea. I want to present a campaign to the city of Lisbon”. I (almost) never question him when he comes with these “semi” crazy ideas. I try to help whenever I have time. One year after, Zé is probably the 1st blogger in the world to sign a campaign for a city. Congratulations again Zé. All of this because you have the courage to continue doing what you love. Thanks for the opportunity of letting me be the designer of your campaign. The campaign you’ve wrote, photographed and deserved.

Em português: www.oalfaiatelisboeta.com
In english: www.thelisbontailor.com
En Español: www.elsastredelisboa.com